The TUC looked at the most-worked jobs on December 25th, and tracked their wages over the last ten years. All except kitchen staff have seen their real wages fall since 2007.
The research reveals that doctors’ real wages are down over £1,000 a month, prison and police officers are down over £400, clergy are down over £300 and security guards and nurses are down over £100.
Christmas workers in low-paid jobs – such as cleaners, carers, waiting staff, and farm workers – have also seen their wages sink.
In 2014, the ONS estimated over a million people work on the day – 3.3 per cent of all employees.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
“Seasonal goodwill is clearly in short supply on pay day.
“While many of us are tucking in to the turkey, the UK’s Christmas workforce will be hard at work keeping vital services running. But their wages are worth even less than they were a decade ago.
“2018 should be the year that the government finally get wages rising across the UK. They can start by ditching their Scrooge-like pay restrictions on our public service workers, and by raising the minimum wage.”
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
